Federal judge orders release of nursing Burmese refugee from ICE detention

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moved Ta Eh Doh Lah from Minnesota to a Texas detention facility earlier this month, she was breastfeeding her five-month-old baby and awaiting specialized heart care. In a sharply worded Jan. 23 order, federal judge Michael J. Davis ruled that her detention was unlawful and ordered her immediate return to Minnesota and release from custody. The court emphasized that Lah, a refugee admitted in 2024, has no criminal record and had complied fully with U.S. immigration law.

Court records show Lah, a citizen of Myanmar, arrived in the U.S. with her husband and three children on Nov. 6, 2024, after completing the federal refugee vetting process. The family resettled in St. Paul, where she later gave birth to her fourth child. Federal law requires refugees to wait one year before applying to adjust their immigration status, which Lah did on Nov. 10, 2025, the first day she was eligible.

The arrest came one day after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the launch of Operation PARRIS, a refugee re-verification initiative in Minnesota. On Jan. 10, ICE agents entered Lah’s apartment building through a propped-open door, questioned family members and directed her husband to lead them into the unit, according to the court’s findings. Lah presented identification and complied with agents’ instructions.

The court noted that Lah’s application to adjust status remained pending at the time of her arrest and that any delay in processing was not attributable to her actions. Judge Davis found no statutory basis for taking her into custody under those circumstances.

After Lah was transferred out of Minnesota, federal authorities asked the court to move the case to another jurisdiction, arguing that the venue was no longer proper. Judge Davis rejected that request, pointing to the timing of the transfer and the absence of legal authority supporting continued detention. “There is something particularly craven about transferring a nursing refugee mother out-of-state,” Davis wrote.

The ruling also faulted the government for failing to comply with court orders, including untimely filings and responses that did not address required issues. The court ordered authorities to allow Lah access to counsel during any inspection and to report back once the process is complete. Medical records reviewed by the court showed Lah has congenital heart disease that was diagnosed only after she received prenatal care in the U.S. and now includes right-sided heart failure. She missed a scheduled cardiology appointment while detained, and her physicians at the University of Minnesota had planned further treatment following her pregnancy.

In a subsequent order issued Jan. 28, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota blocked Operation PARRIS statewide, barring the Department of Homeland Security from arresting or detaining refugees solely because they were awaiting adjustment of status.